Shopping indicator



May 8, 1956 H. EvANoFF SHOPPING INDICATOR Filed March ll, 1954 INVENTOR. /fmv/ E/44/0FF BY 2 United States Patent()f SHOPPINGl INDICATOR Harry Evanolf, Erie, Pa., assignor to Louis Marx & Com- P3115', York Application March 11, 1954, Serial No. 415,469

Claims. (Cl.116134) Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New This invention relates to shopping indicators, and more particularly to a simplified construction adapted for manufacture at low cost.

Shopping indicators are already known which comprise a slotted edge with printed indication of items to be purchased, and housing a ilexible string or band carrying a series of wire loops which pass through the slots and which carry knobs or buttons outside the slots. These knobs or buttons may be turned to either the front or the back of the indicator, and are retained there by the tension of the string or band. Such indicators have proved satisfactory in use, but are costly to manufacture largely because ot' the labor required to string the wire loops and knobs on to the string or band preliminarily to assembling with the housing of the indicator.

The primary object of the present invention is to generally improve shopping indicators, and to provide a simplified construction which greatly reduces the manufacturing labor required, and consequently the cost of the indicator.

To accomplish the foregoing general object, and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in the shopping indicator elements, and their relation one to another, as are hereinafter more particularly described in the following specication. The specication is accompanied by a drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a rear view of a shopping indicator embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front View of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of an integral band with radial studs and enlargements forming an important part of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a section taken approximately in the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section drawn to enlarged scale, and taken approximately in the plane of the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the shopping indicator there shown comprises a hollow edge portion 12 which is radially slotted by a large number of spaced slots indicated at 14. The hollow portion 12 houses a band 16 carrying a series of studs 18 with enlargements 20 at the ends of the studs. In accordance with prior practice the studs 18 were wire eyes or loops surrounding a string or band, and the enlargements 20 were molded knobs or buttons carried by the wire loops. It will be understood that the front face of the housing is printed with items in common use, as indicated in Fig. 2, while the back of the housing has no such list, as is shown in Fig. l. Items which should be bought are indicated by simply sliding the appropriate enlargement 20 from the back to the front of the housing. This is indicated in Fig. 5 by the successive positions 20, 20', and 20". The knob is then held on the selected side of the housing by the tension of the band 16.

In accordance with the present invention, and as is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, the band and studs and enlargements are all integral and are molded in a single molding operation. The result is a ring with I 2,744,490 Patented May 8, 1956 ICE . rubber by molding thel pieces between the halves of a suitable mold and by appropriate vulcanizing steps already known in the rubber industry, but, of course, rubber would not be handled by injection molding. In either case the material is pliant or flexible.

Considering the housing in greater detail, it preferably comprises a top circular plate 22 and a bottom circular plate 24, the main central areas of which plates are flat and secured together in face-to-face relation as is best shown in Fig. 5. The edge portions of the plates are convex with the peripheral edges engaging one another as shown at 26 in Fig. 5. The slots of the radial portions are, ot course, kept in registration when cementing the two plates together.

1T hediameter ofthe band 16 is substantially the same as the diameter of the flat central areas of the plates. Thus to assemble the shopping indicator it is merely necessary to first apply the band to one of the plates, the enlargements being disposed outside the plates as the studs are worked into the slots entirely around the plate,

v following which the other plate is added and cemented in `lets which are freely pivotal around the band. Instead the material of the band is sutliciently ilexible to accommodate the turning of the enlargement from the back to the front of the housing, or vice versa. Alternate enlargements may be disposed on one side, and the intermediate enlargements on the other, for the band readily accommodates the necessary twist or torsion between one stud and its immediate neighbor. There is a great reduction in assembly labor, and consequently in cost. The band also accommodates the stretch needed when moving an indicator from one side to the other as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described my inveution in a preferred form, changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be dened in the following claims.

l claim:

l. A shopping indicator comprising a hollow peripheral edge portion, said edge portion being slotted, and an integrally molded member including a band portion with integral studs projecting transversely outwardly therefrom, and having integral enlargements at the ends of the studs, said integrally molded member being made of flexible material and being housed in the hollow portion withrthe studs passing through the slots and with the enlargements outside, said enlargements being too large to pass through the slots.

2. A shopping indicator comprising a top plate and a bottom plate having their peripheral edges turned in to engage one another, said plates having slotted edges with the slots in registration, and an integrally molded member including a band portion with integral studs projecting transversely outwardly therefrom, and having integral enlargements at the ends of 'the studs, said integrally molded member being made of flexible material and being housed in the hollow region between the edge portions of said plates but with the studs passing through the slots and with the enlargements outside the plates, said enlargements being too large to pass through` the slots.

3. A shopping indicator comprising atop circular plate, a bottom circular plate, the peripheral edges of said plates engaging one another, the edge portions being radially slotted with theslots in registration, and an integrally molded member including a circular band portion with integral studs projecting radially outwardly therefrom, and with integral enlargements at the ends of the studs, said integral member being molded out of a flexible material, the band portion being received in the hollow peripheral space between the plates, with each stud passing through a slot and with the enlargements outside the plates, said enlargements being too large to pass through the slots.

4. A shopping indicator comprising a top circular plate, a bottom circular plate, the main central areas of said plates being flat and secured together in face-to-face relation, the edge portions of said plates being convex with the peripheral edges of said plates engaging one another, the edge portions being radially slotted with the slots in registration, and an integrally molded member including a circular band portion with integral studs projecting radially outwardly therefrom and with integral enlargements at the 4 ends of the studs, said integral member being molded out of a exible material', the bund portion being received in the hollow peripheral space between the plates, with each stud passing through a slot and with the enlargements outside the plates, said enlargements being too large to pass through the slots.

5. For use in a shopping indicator of the type having a housing with a slotted edge portion, and housing a band carrying a series of connectors passing through the slots of the edge portion, and carrying knobs on said connectors outside the slots, a combined band with integral studs acting as connectors and integral enlargements acting as knobs at the ends of the studs, said band and studs and enlargements all being parts of a single integrally molded body molded out ofailexible moldable material.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 566,297 Cooley Aug. 25, 1896 1,768,087 Leverson June 24, 1930 2,660,145 Odlas Nov. 24, 1953 

